Los Angeles, CA – February 8, 2011 – Hollywood Studios International announced today that it has acquired worldwide sales rights (outside of Venezuela), through its HSI Films division, to the record setting thriller “The Zero Hour” (Spanish title: “La Hora Cero”). The announcement was made today by HSI Films President Eric Christenson.
See the Variety Article on The Zero Hour HERE:
Variety article
The film has been a massive success in Venezuela, breaking records on its way to becoming the highest earning Venezuelan film in history and outgrossing popular studio films such as INCEPTION, IRON MAN 2 and TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE, to name a few. This amazing feat was accomplished with the purchase of only one billboard and a very limited P&A spend. In spite of its lack of promotional dollars, the film has remained at the top of the box office in Venezuela for fifteen weeks, reaching #1, opening ahead of and out-grossing films such as TRON: LEGACY, THE TOWN, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, SAW, DUE DATE, WALL STREET 2 and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2.
Set and filmed in Caracas, “The Zero Hour” is the big-screen debut of Venezuelan-born and U.S.-raised director Diego Velasco, whose short films have won over 26 awards. Set during the real-life, 24-hour national health strike that paralyzed the city’s public hospitals in 1996, it follows a fictional hitman (Sicario) who takes control of a private hospital to save his pregnant friend—the victim of a shooting in which the culprit is revealed only later in the film.
The filmmakers made “The Zero Hour” with great sacrifice and literally risked their lives to shoot it. Three crew members were kidnapped, the director was held up at gunpoint, and one of the actors was killed a week before shooting his part. The film brings to life the violence and chaos that currently characterizes Venezuela and it has already had a huge impact in the country. It focuses on a Sicario, one of Latin America’s most feared criminal types, and explores the link between violence and social inequality—in this case the gap in quality between private and public health care.
Written and directed by Diego Velasco, the film’s lead is played by Ruben Zapata, aka Zapata 666, an underground hip-hop artist from Petare (Venezuela’s largest slum) in his first acting role. Starring alongside Zapata are Venezuelan stars Amanda Key, Erich Wildpret, Laureano Oliveres and Marisa Roman as well as American actors Alejandro Furth (“Dreamgirls,” “Fun with Dick and Jane”), and Steve Wilcox (“American Me”).
Carolina Paiz wrote the screenplay with Velasco and produced the film with Rodolfo Cova. Sergio Aguero (“Y Tu Mama Tambien”, “Quarantine”) Executive Produced, and HSI CEO Steven Saxton Co-Executive Produced.
HSI Films is introducing “The Zero Hour” to foreign buyers for the first time at the upcoming European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin where the film will have its market debut.
The filmmakers say they did not want to produce a socioeconomic critique. “We want viewers to digest and interpret the movie’s ideas, not to put ideas in their heads,” said Carolina Paiz.
Director Diego Velasco commented, “I made this film thinking not only of the Venezuelan audience, but also with the hope that people around the world could enjoy this universal story. HSI was our first choice when it came to choosing a sales company; their international focus, their fierce determination and their vast expertise have provided a perfect home for ‘The Zero Hour.’”
Commented Christenson, “We’ve been on the lookout for great, distinctively original films with mass commercial appeal and ‘The Zero Hour’ has it all. The film brings a raw edginess that audiences are drawn to and appreciate, as evidenced with its record breaking success in Venezuela. I was blown away when I first screened the film. It’s much more creative and edgy than your typical thriller, delivering a visually enthralling and unique experience for audiences that will translate well beyond the borders of Venezuela and Latin America. For us, the film exemplifies the pedigree of picture HSI is committed to bringing to the international marketplace. We’re excited to see the reactions to the film in Berlin.”
With “Zero Hour” as a calling card, Diego Velasco and Carolina Paiz have signed on with Hollywood Studio International’s wholly owned management company, Artist International, for representation in all areas of their business and creative pursuits.
ABOUT HSI FILMS:
HSI Films is a worldwide theatrical motion picture financing, production and distribution company lead by industry veteran Eric Christenson. The company handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired films.
For more than 20 years, Christenson has participated in every aspect of film development, financing, production, distribution, marketing and business affairs. Throughout his distinguished career, Eric has maintained excellent working relationships at the studio, mini-major, agency and producer levels within the film industry. He has licensed films that represent more than 50 Academy Award nominations, including but not limited to current 2010 Academy Award winner “The Hurt Locker”, and, “The Company You Keep”, “The Whistleblower”, Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed”, “The Aviator” and “Gangs of New York”; Lasse Hallstrom’s “An Unfinished Life” and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, “The Young Victoria”, “Next”, “Bangkok Dangerous”; Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic”, Michael Mann’s “Ali”, Peter Berg’s “Very Bad Things”, “Dungeons & Dragons”, “Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book” and “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder”.
ABOUT HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS INTERNATIONAL
Hollywood Studios International (OTCBB: HYWS) is a media holding company focused on the intelligent deployment of capital in the entertainment industry. The company has developed a portfolio of fee-based businesses ranging from talent representation to international distribution. Following the current round of funding, the Company intends to file with the SEC to be a fully reporting publicly traded company.
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